2 Chronicles 12:2 kjv
And it came to pass, that in the fifth year of king Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD,
2 Chronicles 12:2 nkjv
And it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had transgressed against the LORD,
2 Chronicles 12:2 niv
Because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam.
2 Chronicles 12:2 esv
In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem
2 Chronicles 12:2 nlt
Because they were unfaithful to the LORD, King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam's reign.
2 Chronicles 12 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 26:14-17 | "But if you will not listen to Me... I will set My face against you..." | God's warning of judgment for disobedience. |
| Deut 28:15 | "But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD..." | Curses (including foreign invasion) as consequences of disobeying God's commandments. |
| 1 Sam 15:23 | "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft... because you have rejected..." | Disobedience seen as rejection of God, leading to severe consequences. |
| 1 Kgs 11:11 | "Therefore the LORD said to Solomon, 'Because you have done this...'" | God's judgment against Solomon for idolatry, foretelling kingdom division and trouble. |
| 1 Kgs 14:25-26 | "Now it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam... Shishak... came..." | Parallel account of Shishak's invasion against Jerusalem, plundering the temple. |
| Jdg 2:11-15 | "Then the children of Israel did evil... He gave them into the hands..." | Israel's cycle of apostasy, God's deliverance through enemies, repeating throughout history. |
| 2 Chron 7:19-20 | "But if you turn away... I will uproot them from My land..." | Warning of exile and destruction if Israel turns away from God. |
| 2 Chron 12:1 | "Now it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom... he and all Judah forsook the law of the LORD." | Immediate preceding verse; gives context for the "transgression." |
| Neh 9:26-27 | "Nevertheless they were disobedient... therefore You delivered them..." | Recalls Israel's pattern of rebellion and God's delivering them to their enemies. |
| Psa 78:56-62 | "Yet they tested and rebelled against the Most High God... So He forsook..." | Depicts Israel's repeated rebellion and God giving them over despite His covenant. |
| Jer 2:19 | "Your own wickedness will correct you, and your backslidings will rebuke you." | Internal consequences of abandoning God, leading to discipline. |
| Jer 5:25 | "Your iniquities have turned these things away, and your sins have withheld good from you." | Direct link between sin and deprivation of blessing. |
| Hos 5:7 | "They have dealt treacherously with the LORD, for they have begotten foreign children." | Describes treachery against the LORD, mirroring "transgressed." |
| Lam 1:8 | "Jerusalem has sinned grievously... all who honored her despise her..." | Acknowledges Jerusalem's sin as the reason for her humiliation and defeat. |
| Mal 3:7 | "From the days of your fathers you have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them." | Recurrent theme of Israel's turning away from God's commands. |
| Rom 1:18 | "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness..." | God's righteous judgment is unleashed against human sin and unrighteousness. |
| Rom 6:23 | "For the wages of sin is death..." | Universal principle of the consequences of sin, spiritually and sometimes physically. |
| Gal 6:7-8 | "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." | Principle of sowing and reaping applied to spiritual actions. |
| Heb 12:5-6 | "Do not despise the chastening of the LORD... For whom the LORD loves He chastens..." | God's discipline, even through adversity, as a sign of His love and intention for good. |
| Jas 4:4 | "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?" | Defines unfaithfulness as spiritual adultery against God. |
| 1 John 3:4 | "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness." | Defines sin as the breaking of God's law. |
| Rev 2:5 | "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works..." | Exhortation to return to devotion, lest a lampstand be removed, implying consequences for unfaithfulness. |
2 Chronicles 12 verses
2 Chronicles 12 2 Meaning
This verse states that in the fifth year of King Rehoboam's reign over Judah, Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt launched a military campaign against Jerusalem. The divinely inspired reason provided for this attack is that the people of Judah, led by King Rehoboam, had been unfaithful and had abandoned the law of the LORD, thus transgressing against Him.
2 Chronicles 12 2 Context
Verse 2 of 2 Chronicles 12 explains the divinely appointed consequence of the actions described in the previous verse (2 Chron 12:1). Rehoboam, King Solomon's son, came to power after the kingdom was divided (929 BCE). He inherited a realm diminished by the secession of the ten northern tribes. Despite initially fortifying Judah's cities, as soon as he "established the kingdom and had strengthened himself," he, along with all Judah, "forsook the law of the LORD." This abandonment of God's covenant and law is presented as the direct cause for the subsequent invasion by Shishak.
Historically, this event marks a significant moment when Jerusalem's treasury, including Solomon's golden shields, was plundered, highlighting Judah's weakened state both militarily and spiritually. This invasion is externally corroborated by ancient Egyptian inscriptions from Pharaoh Sheshonq I (biblical Shishak), who listed cities he conquered in the Levant, including several in Judah. The chronicler's account focuses not just on the historical event but primarily on its theological interpretation: the invasion was God's judgment. This narrative stands in contrast to secular views of warfare, explicitly stating that foreign powers could become instruments of God's discipline for covenant unfaithfulness.
2 Chronicles 12 2 Word analysis
It came to pass: (וַיְהִי, vayhi) A common biblical Hebrew phrase used to introduce a new event or a change in circumstances. It emphasizes the historical progression and marks the initiation of a significant development.
in the fifth year: (בַּשָּׁנָה הַחֲמִישִׁית, bashshanah hachamishiyt) Refers to the fifth year of Rehoboam's reign. This specific chronological detail underlines the immediate divine response to the nation's spiritual apostasy.
King Rehoboam: (לַמֶּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם, lammelekh Rehav'am) Rehoboam was Solomon's son and the first king of Judah after the split of the united monarchy. His character is depicted as one who started with wisdom but quickly veered into idolatry and rejection of God's law (1 Kgs 12:1-19, 2 Chron 12:1).
Shishak: (שִׁישַׁק, Shishaq) Identifiable as Pharaoh Sheshonq I, the founder of the 22nd Dynasty of Egypt. He was a powerful ruler who had provided refuge for Jeroboam before he became king of Israel. His invasion is a significant external confirmation of a biblical event by non-biblical archaeology, validating the historical accuracy of the narrative.
king of Egypt: (מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם, melekh Mitsrayim) Indicates his authoritative rule over Egypt, portraying him as a formidable regional power. Egypt had a long history of interaction, often adversarial, with the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.
came up against Jerusalem: (עָלָה עַל יְרוּשָׁלִַם, ‘alah ‘al Yerushalayim) "Came up against" implies a military campaign and siege, a direct hostile advance. Jerusalem was the capital, housing the temple and the royal palace, making it the primary target for plunder and humiliation.
because they had transgressed against the LORD: (כִּי מָעֲלוּ בַיהוָה, ki ma‘alu baYHWH)
- "because": (כִּי, ki) Clearly states the reason or cause for Shishak's invasion. It firmly attributes the calamity to Judah's sin, not merely a geopolitical reality. This is central to the Chronicler's theology: obedience brings blessing, disobedience brings judgment.
- "transgressed": (מָעֲלוּ, ma‘alu, from the root מָעַל, ma‘al) This verb implies deep spiritual faithlessness, treachery, and an unfaithfulness to a sacred trust or covenant. It is often used in the context of violating something holy, profaning what is sacred, or defaulting on a sworn agreement with God (e.g., Num 5:6-7, Josh 7:1, Ezek 39:23). It signifies a betrayal of the divine covenant relationship that binds God and Israel. It's not just "sin" but a profound act of covenant infidelity, an abandonment of God's specific law mentioned in 2 Chron 12:1.
- "against the LORD": (בַיהוָה, baYHWH) Direct object of the transgression. It explicitly states that the offense was against God Himself, not just a set of rules. This reinforces the theological premise that God, the covenant keeper, punishes those who break His covenant.
Words-group Analysis:
- "in the fifth year... Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem": This phrase ties a precise historical event to a specific ruler and location, setting the stage for the theological explanation that follows. It links divine judgment to identifiable historical time and figures.
- "because they had transgressed against the LORD": This forms the crucial theological interpretive lens through which the Chronicler wants the audience to understand the historical event. It establishes a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the spiritual state of Judah (disobedience) and the physical calamity (foreign invasion), emphasizing God's sovereignty over nations and His active role in the affairs of His people. The phrase underscores the core message of the book: faithfulness leads to blessing, unfaithfulness leads to judgment.
2 Chronicles 12 2 Bonus section
The Chronicler often emphasizes God's immediate response to human actions, whether in blessing or judgment. In this case, the invasion occurs very quickly (within five years) after Rehoboam and Judah "forsook the law of the LORD," suggesting a rapid divine intervention following the initial lapse into disobedience. This quick succession highlights the direct and undeniable link between action and consequence within God's covenant framework, reinforcing the idea of a vigilant God who is attentive to His people's fidelity. Furthermore, Shishak's campaign, which involved carrying away the treasures from the house of the LORD and the king's house (2 Chron 12:9), symbolized the forfeiture of the blessings and glory that God had previously bestowed, now diminished due to their unfaithfulness. The loss of Solomon's golden shields, replaced by bronze ones (2 Chron 12:10), is a powerful visual metaphor for the degradation of Judah's spiritual and physical state.
2 Chronicles 12 2 Commentary
2 Chronicles 12:2 succinctly presents the theological framework for understanding historical events in Judah. The invasion of Shishak, an attested historical figure, is not portrayed as a mere act of geopolitics but as a direct consequence of Judah's spiritual failing. The use of "transgressed" (ma‘al) is key, denoting a profound betrayal of covenant fidelity rather than simple disobedience. This profound turning away from God, explicitly mentioned as "forsaking the law of the LORD" in the preceding verse (2 Chron 12:1), led to God withdrawing His protective hand, thereby allowing external enemies to succeed. The verse encapsulates the chronicler's conviction that the prosperity and security of God's people are contingent upon their faithfulness to Him, serving as a solemn warning against apostasy and an affirmation of God's righteous judgment and control over historical outcomes. It illustrates that God uses even pagan kings as instruments of His divine purpose when His people wander from Him.